Deployment Log, Day 34:
1. There’s really no place like home. I love our Texas hacienda, but Kansas is making my heart happy.
2. We’ve gotten soft. It’s cold here!
3. The trip up was really good. The kids were (mostly) troopers, minus the first hour of the trip when Malick was like, “Uh, no thanks.” Then he realized we were committed and stopped fighting it.
4. The great thing about a deployment is that it gives opportunities to do things that you would probably never do otherwise. Like drive 900 miles in 2 days by yourself with two Tiny Humans and a dog. Every 15 minutes or so I noticed my hands got tighter on the wheel, so I had to pretend I was some kind of awesome athlete on a mission and told myself, “Stay loose, stay loose…”
5. Nobody puked in the car! (And if you have met my kids, you know this is a big deal).
6. Charis did yak in the middle of the night on Saturday in the hotel. So that was fun. (It had me all wound up creating road trip contingency plans in case it wasn’t just a one-time thing).
7. Charis also apparently has trust issues with how I navigate: In Western Kansas, she mentioned a couple times that I was GOING THE WRONG WAY. Because we already saw “those cows” and “those windmills” the day before.
8. My sister and I are headed to Manhattan this weekend to celebrate my birthday like adults (as in, sleep till we wake up and eat with two hands). So any of my MHK or Fort Riley peeps want to break bread together, hit me up.
9. Charis: “Mama, let’s talk about cantaloupe.”
Me: “Um. Ok? Like the fruit?”
Charis: “No, the animal.”
Me: …
Me: “Oh, you mean ANTELOPE!”
10. Still missing mi esposo, but spending time with family and friends here in the midwest really helps.
11. This statistics class = seriously?!?! I have finally resolved to give it to Jesus, do the best I can (with the less-than-engaged group members to which I have been assigned) and praise the Lord that the option for resubmits in the class is a thing.
12: *Upon arriving to our hotel in Dodge City on Saturday night*
Charis: “Praise the Lord! We have two TVs AND air conditioning!”
(It was like 12 degrees outside…)
12. Prayer requests: Balance of fun and rest, being present and staying faithful to choices that positively impact my physical/spiritual health.
13. Parting thought for today:
“The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.” ~Psalm 28:7
Well, Flat Daddy agrees that this deployment just got a whole lot “cooler.” #KansasProbs #BrrItsColdOutHere
This is easily one of Flat Daddy’s most epic photos yet! Why? Because my oldest (as in, known/kept in touch the longest, not age) friend Brandi and I were able to hang out last night with all of our minions. Even more so, everyone was looking AND smiling at the camera! Talk about a happy heart moment, even during deployment. PS: Yes, my face looks a bit pained… Mainly because I am hoisting 60lbs of Tiny Human on my hips. PSS: If my math skills serve correctly, I think we’ve been friends for about 22.5 years.
Career Day: Visiting Paw-Paw at work to see the BIG TRUCKS!!!
Flat Daddy Career Day: Taking Donuts to Grandma CJ and team at H & R Block
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Two: Flat Daddy visits non-Flat-hubs and non-Flat-wife’s first-married apartment complex.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Three: Next stop is Radina’s Coffeehouse for a peppermint tea for Kathleen and a famous grasshopper mocha for non-flat-mama.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Two: The next stop hit me right in alllll the feels… we posed in front of the church where we said “I do” 8+ years ago. I miss you my Beloved! PS: Flat Daddy needs to work on his hugging and cuddling skills…
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Two: Oh, Weber arena… I spent SO many hours here during undergrad learning about all things Animal Science. It is also a special place for not-so-Flat hubs since it part of our first date, at Ag for a Cure Concert. I will never forget how my phone was blowing up with text messages that night because everyone was like “Whhhaaaatt is going on, Sharita?!! We just saw you holding hands with a boy!!” Mama always said when I met “The One” I would face plant, falling head over heels. Welp. She was right.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Two: We couldn’t hang out in Wildcat Land without getting Flat Daddy properly attired. I personally think K-State purple is a good compliment to army green. PS: Non-Flat-Mama also stocked up on new KSU gear… mainly because I have “under-grown” a majority of my previous garb! #GreatProbToHave
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Three: One of the best parts about being back “Home” is running into friends from seasons gone by. So awesome to see Lori Harlan! (I remember when she spoke at Crest FFA banquet as a State FFA officer and how she and her hubs did all things tech for our State FFA officer team a few years later. Also, thanks to Lori for making me laugh out loud. “Oh my gosh, I get to take a pic with THE Flat Daddy?” (As I whip him out of my purse….) ?
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Three: Sister Kathleen requested HuHot for lunch and Flat Daddy readily agreed, mainly because it’s delicious AND it was the restaurant non-Flat hubs took me on our first date for supper.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Three: We popped by the KSU Student Union and I was able to get a pic with two of my three most favorite men ever: Flat Daddy and Willie the Wildcat. PS: The third most fave dude is Jesus, just FYI. And not in that order. PSS: I’m still reeling from the Stuni’s recent makeover! It looks incredible… so much so that it *almost* makes me want to find a reason to re-enroll and come back to school in MHK. (Never mind the fact that I have two Tiny Humans and a Husband overseas and the army/Jesus says we are to live in Texas for the time being.)
Nostalgia, Party of Two: Flat Daddy is extremely smart and has a very solid life philosophy… it’s NEVER too cold for Call Hall Ice Cream. And yes, I got a dish of Purple Pride.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Two: Before heading to supper, we had to stop by the place where it all started… Tubby’s in Aggieville. I just couldn’t resist the mad skills of non-flat-hubs Cha-Cha slide moves on the dance floor.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of Eight: The best part of the day was celebrating with the good people God has placed in my life. Delicious Kansas beef at Little Apple Brewery fed our bellies, and time together as friends filled our souls.
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of One: Flat Daddy convinced us to be total rebel rousers and we didn’t make it back to the hotel till 10pm! ? We rounded out the night with one final birthday treat: Carrot cake and wine in a can, because we are classy like that. PS: They’ve done wine in a bottle, bag, box and now a can… what a time to be alive! PSS: Canned wine is not delicious. I think it’s supposed to be in a bottle for a reason…
Nostalgia, Birthday Party of One: All of today’s birthday adventures seem to have worn Flat Daddy out! But I have to hand it to him… he’s a great sport. Even as he drifts off to sleep after a full day of celebrating, eating and walking miles down Memory Lane, he still has that same smile on his face. ?
Well, we found Flat Daddy’s kryptonite: Allllll the deliciousness from Varsity Donuts. I sure hope he saves some for the Tiny Humans back home!
Good morning, Flat Daddy! I mustache you a question: how was your hotel coffee?
Flat Daddy insisted we stop by “The Bill” to celebrate yesterday’s Wildcat Victory. It was good for a WILDCAT TOUCHDOWN!!!
I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to wrap up our Manhappiness adventures and moooove on down to SEK. Flat Daddy told me to stop “horsing” around and “hamming” it up. But I really wanted to continue “cownting” memories with a visit to the Animal Science farm units.
Giving thanks on MANHattan Hill for my MAN who selflessly serves our country… also thankful for a great photographer sister Kathleen and Flat Daddy to keep me company in my Beloved’s absence.
Pre-departure post-birthday lunch was sushi and hibachi. Flat Daddy was super proud of me as I exercised great restraint, resisting the temptation to “adopt” the two “baby” soldiers that we were seated beside. I do, however, think I scared them with my barrage of motherly questioning: “How long have you been in? Where are you originally from? What’s your MOS? Officer or enlisted? TELL ME ALL THE THINGS!”
This weekend wasn’t just fun, it was also productive. Before we left town, Flat Daddy reminded us to stop at one of our favorite grocery stores to purchase (wait for it…) “Aldi” supplies for our Thanksgiving dinner. ? #SundayPunDay
Last stop before leaving THE greatest town in the Midwest: Pillsbury Crossing. Needless to say, this birthday weekend away as sisters (with Flat Daddy) really made us “jump” for joy. We hope you got a “kick” out of it too!! ❤️??✌?
